More Local Governments Regulate Timeshare

Navarro County in Texas becomes the latest US community to regulate timeshare growth.

Unless you’re from Texas, you’ve probably never heard of Navarro County, Texas. This area on the map encompasses 1086 square miles, located about forty-five miles southeast of Dallas (or two hours away from Houston), convenient distance from both Waco and Fort Worth. Combine Navarro County’s proximity to major urban centers with some of the most idyllic lakefront property in Texas (Richland Chambers reservoir, Texas’ third-largest lake) and you have a potential recipe for explosive real estate development. Especially considering that this is just the kind of place for city folks to take a relaxing vacation in the great outdoors.

On April 6th at the Courthouse in Corsicana, Texas, the Navarro County Lake Planning and Zoning Commission approved a new ordinance regulating timeshare development. As there currently aren’t any timeshares along the shores of Richland-Chambers reservoir, this move was strictly a preemptive one. It seems safe to assume that this meeting took place because certain community members recognized a need for the regulation of resort development in this area.

Development of a new resort area rarely proceeds at a slow, leisurely pace. Rather, it nearly always comes about as a reaction to sudden demand. When this happens, developers often move faster than the local legislative bodies, which spells trouble if no legislative framework exists. There’s nothing wrong with making money from resort development – as long as the end result doesn’t mean rampant over-development, damage to the surrounding environment, or changes in the quality of life for residents and guests alike.

Another consequence of lax resort regulation? Bad timeshare sales practices. Many communities experience repercussions after the fact, when it’s too late to address consumer complaints.

For this and other reasons, proactive local timeshare initiatives provide a win-win situation. In places like Navarro County, local ordinances only serve to strengthen timeshare’s benefit to the surrounding community, as well as helping ensure that timeshare owners remain satisfied in future years. Regulating timeshare will provide a sound and healthy framework to support industry growth, without which sustainability and long-term customer satisfaction would be difficult or impossible to achieve.